冰皮盐水鸡 Chilled Saltwater Chicken with Crispy Skin

[Ho Kwok Leung]

冰皮盐水鸡
材料：
光鸡1只（约1500克），
姜（拍扁）80克，
干葱（拍扁）3粒，
沙姜片3片，
香叶2片，
果皮 1/2 ，
生油2汤匙。

浸鸡汁料：
清水16量杯，
盐800克（预先与8量杯水煮溶），
砂糖40克，
冰粒（后下）1200克。

调味料：
蒜子（剁碎）2粒，
干葱（剁碎）2粒，
油炸金蒜茸（见半成品材料和酱汁制法）1汤匙，
姜（切碎）20克，
葱（切碎）1根，
沙姜粉2茶匙，
万字酱油5汤匙（后下）。

制法：
(1)锅预热，下生油，随即下所有调味料爆香，最后倒入酱油煮滚，备用（与鸡伴食）。
(2)光鸡去清内脏，清洗干净，备用。
(3)预备一煲滚水，以能覆盖鸡面为准，放入其他材料，再放入光鸡，以大火滚起后，转用微火浸20分钟，捞起。
(4)光鸡捞起后，立即置于浸鸡汁料中，浸25~30分钟或直至鸡身凉冻，斩件后便可上碟。

心得：
(1)洗鸡时，必须除去内脏，特别是鸡肺，否则在烹调时，浸鸡永远不会被煮熟，以及不断有血水涌现。
(2)采用速冻鸡作此菜式，肉质比较粗糙，口感欠佳，以活鸡的食味比较好。
(3)鸡浸在浸鸡汁料中时，鸡身宜仍处于温暖至冻之间。
(4)浸鸡时间不宜太久，否则肉质的爽滑程度骤减。

**Chilled Saltwater Chicken with Crispy Skin**

**Ingredients**:
- 1 whole chicken (about 1500g, cleaned)
- 80g ginger (smashed)
- 3 shallots (smashed)
- 3 slices sand ginger (沙姜)
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ dried tangerine peel (soaked)
- 2 tbsp cooking oil

**Brine Solution**:
- 16 cups water
- 800g salt (dissolved in 8 cups water, pre-boiled)
- 40g sugar
- 1200g ice cubes (added later)

**Seasoning Sauce**:
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 shallots (minced)
- 1 tbsp fried crispy minced garlic (see Semi-finished Materials and Sauce Preparation)
- 20g ginger (minced)
- 1 green onion (minced)
- 2 tsp sand ginger powder (沙姜粉)
- 5 tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce (added last)

**Instructions**:
1. **Prepare Seasoning Sauce**:
- Heat oil in a pan. Sauté minced garlic, shallots, ginger, and green onion until fragrant.
- Add sand ginger powder and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then set aside as a dipping sauce.

2. **Clean the Chicken**:
- Remove all innards (especially lungs) and rinse thoroughly.

3. **Poach the Chicken**:
- In a large pot, bring enough water to cover the chicken to a boil. Add smashed ginger, shallots, sand ginger slices, bay leaves, and tangerine peel.
- Submerge the chicken, return to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer gently for 20 minutes. Remove and drain.

4. **Chill in Brine**:
- Combine 16 cups water, pre-dissolved saltwater, sugar, and ice cubes in a large container.
- Immediately submerge the poached chicken in the ice brine for 25–30 minutes until fully chilled.

5. **Serve**:
- Chop the chicken into pieces. Serve cold with the seasoning sauce on the side.

**Tips**:
1. **Cleaning**: Ensure lungs are removed to prevent blood seepage during cooking.
2. **Freshness**: Use live chicken for tender texture; frozen chicken yields tougher meat.
3. **Temperature Control**: Brine should cool the chicken from warm to chilled—avoid over-soaking to maintain crisp skin.
4. **Timing**: Over-brining softens the meat; 30 minutes max.

**Chef’s Notes**:
- **Saltwater Brine**: The intense salt concentration (800g salt to 16 cups water) ensures thorough seasoning and firm texture.
- **Live Chicken Advantage**: Freshly slaughtered birds retain natural juices and elasticity, unlike frozen alternatives.

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**Key Terms**:
- **Sand Ginger (沙姜)**: Aromatic rhizome with peppery notes, essential for Cantonese-style poached dishes.
- **Ice Brine**: Rapid chilling locks in moisture and creates the signature "crisp-skin" texture.